ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Special Service and Features
Ek Bharat Shreshta Bharat: Media team from Himachal Pradesh visit PIB, ROB Offices in Kochi
Kochi: April 25, 2022
As part of the Central Government's Ek Bharat Shreshta Bharat programme, a media team from Himachal Pradesh arrived in Kochi today  for a visit to Kerala. The 11-member team led by Shri Pavitar Singh, Director, Press Information Bureau, Chandigarh visited Press Information Bureau and Field Outreach Bureau offices at Kendriya Bhavan, Kochi under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The team also had an interaction with Ms. Rashmi Roja Thushara Nair, Director  and Ms. Shamila K. Y., Media and Communication Officer, Press Information Bureau, Kochi.
Under the Ek Bharat Shreshta Bharat programme, the idea of pairing States/Union Territories aims to enhance and promote mutual understanding and relations between the people of different States/Union Territories. Kerala has been paired with Himachal Pradesh. It is in this context, that a delegation representing various news outlets in Himachal Pradesh is visiting Kerala to see and learn about the best practices in Kerala and to emulate them in their respective state.
As part of the visit, the team will also visit Munnar and Thiruvananthapuram in the coming days.
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Ministry of Food Processing Industries
Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Package for Micro Enterprises
As part of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Initiative, Ministry of Food Processing Industriesis implementing a Centrally Sponsored PM Formalisation of Micro food processing Enterprises  Scheme for providing financial, technical and business support for setting up/ up gradation of 2 lakh micro food processing enterprises through credit linked grant during five years from 2020-21 to 2024-25 with an outlay of Rs. 10,000 crores.
The scheme envisages supporting micro enterprises through increased access to credit, integration with organized supply chain by strengthening branding and marketing, increased access to common services, strengthening of institutions, research & training in the food processing sector.
The details of support to Micro Food Processing Units under the scheme are mentioned below:
. Support to Individual Micro Enterprises: Credit-linked capital grant @35% of the eligible project cost, maximum ceiling Rs.10 lakh per unit;
. Support to FPOs/ SHGs/ Producer Cooperatives: Credit linked Grant @35% to support clusters and groups such as FPOs/ SHGs/ Producer Cooperatives along their entire value chain for sorting, grading, storage, common processing, packaging, marketing, testing etc.
. Support to SHGs for seed capital: Seed capital @ Rs. 40,000/- per member of SHG engaged in food processing for working capital and purchase of small tools.
. Support for Common Infrastructure: Credit linked grant @ 35% to support FPOs, SHGs, Cooperatives, any Government agency or private enterprises for Common infrastructure. The common infrastructure will also be available for other units and public to utilize on hiring basis for substantial part of the capacity.
. Branding and Marketing Support: Grant upto 50% for Branding and Marketing to groups of FPOs/ SHGs/ Cooperatives or an SPV of micro food processing enterprises.
. Capacity Building: Training for Entrepreneurship Development Program to meet the requirement of food processing industry and product specific skilling.
Under Marketing and Branding component of the scheme, the following support to micro enterprises has been envisaged:
 Developing a common brand and packaging including product standardization  Marketing tie up with national and regional retail chains and state level institutions  Quality control to ensure product quality meets required standards  Training relating to marketing
The major eligible components for support under the scheme are Market study, Product standardization , Packaging material, Graphic designing, warehousing/ storage rentals, Promotional activities, Training related to Sales & Marketing and Trademark registration.
This information was given by Minister of State for M/o Food Processing Industries, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today
Cabinet
Cabinet approves MoU between India and the USA concerning Scientific and Technical Cooperation in the Earth Sciences
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has been apprised of Memorandum of Understanding  between India and the United States of America  concerning Scientific and Technical Cooperation in the Earth Sciences. The MoU was signed on 1st November 2018.
The collaboration between India and the USA will enable sharing of the expertise available with organizations in both countries, and adoption of the latest state-of-the-art technology in the field of Earth Science. Specific areas of cooperation include ecosystems, climate variability and land-use changes, energy, minerals, environmental health, natural hazards, risk and resilience of assessments, water resources, and informatics and data integration. The cooperation under this MoU is envisaged through various modes viz. exchange of technical information, visits, training and cooperative research consistent with on-going programmes of both countries in the above fields.
Ministry of Law and Justice
Union Minister of Law and Justice, Shri Kiran Rijiju commences the final day celebrations of ‘Jan Aushadhi Diwas’
Union Minister of Law and Justice, Shri Kiran Rijiju visited Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi today to commence the final day celebrations of Jan Aushadhi Diwas. Shri Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution & Textiles, Shri Rajnessh Tingal, Joint Secretary of Pharmaceuticals and Shri Parth Gautham Sharma, CEO, PMBI were also present at the event. Jan Aushadhi Rath to commence celebrations of Jan Aushadhi Jan Chetna Abhiyaan in New Delhi was flagged off by Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers Dr Mansukh Mandaviya. This event kick started the launch of 5th Jan Aushadhi celebrations across the country.
The third day of Jan Aushadhi Diwas, 2023 was observed as ‘Jan Aushadhi - Ek Kadam Matri Shakti Ki Ore’ across the country. women beneficiaries attended at large number at 34 locations in all States/UTs at Jan Aushadhi Kendras where interaction was conducted in the presence of women public representatives, women doctors, NGO’s and information sharing about Health benefits of Jan Aushadhi medicines were done. Special discussions about menstrual health were also conducted. Kits containing women-centric products were distributed to more than 3500 women at designated locations.
The fourth day of Jan Aushadhi Diwas, 2023 was celebrated as ‘Bal Mitra Diwas’. Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices Bureau of India  conducted weeklong celebrations across the nation on the occasion of 5th Jan Aushadhi Diwas. The fourth day's events of Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana  were dedicated to children.
‘Jan Aushadhi -Jan Arogya Melas’  and Heritage Walks  were organised all over the country on the fifth day of Jan Aushadhi Diwas, 2023. The sixth day of Jan Aushadhi Diwas, 2023 was celebrated as “Aao Jan Aushadhi Mitra Banein” today. On this occasion, large number of people took pledge ‘Jan Aushadhi Shapath’ digitally on the MyGov platform to promote the use of generic medicines.
With an objective of making quality generic medicines available at affordable prices to all, Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana  was launched by the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers, Government of India. Under this scheme, dedicated outlets known as Janaushadhi Kendras are opened to provide generic medicines. The Jan Aushadhi scheme was launched in November, 2008 with an objective of having at least one Jan Aushadhi Store in each district of the country.
Cabinet
Cabinet approves Agreement between India and Spain on Cooperation and Mutual Assistance in Customs Matters
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the signing of Agreement between India and Spain on Cooperation and Mutual Assistance in Customs Matters.
Benefits:
The Agreement will help in making available, reliable, quick and cost-effective information and intelligence for the prevention and investigation of Customs offences and apprehending of Customs offenders.
The Agreement would provide a legal framework for sharing of information between the Customs authorities of the two countries and help in the proper administering of Customs laws and detection and investigation of Customs offences and the facilitation of legitimate trade.
The agreement has following provisions:
- The correct assessment of customs duties, especially information pertaining to the determination of the customs value, tariff classification and the origin of the goods traded between the two countries;
- The authenticity of any document produced in support of a declaration  made to the requesting authority;
- Customs offence concerning illicit movement of the following:
- Arms, ammunition, explosives and explosive devices;
- Works of art and antiques, which are of significant historical, cultural of archaeological value;
- Toxic materials and other substances dangerous to the environment and public health;
- Goods subject to substantial customs duties or taxes;
- New means and methods employed for committing Customs offences against Customs legislation.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
COVID-19 UPDATE
195.5 cr vaccine doses have been administered so far under Nationwide Vaccination Drive
India's Active caseload currently stands at 53,637
Active cases stand at 0.12%
Recovery Rate currently at 98.66%
5,718 recoveries in the last 24 hours increases Total Recoveries to
4,26,67,088
8,822 new cases recorded in the last 24 hours
Daily positivity rate 
Weekly Positivity Rate 
85.58 cr Total Tests conducted so far; 4,40,278 tests conducted in the last 24 hours
Ministry of Steel
Union Minister for Steel, Shri RCP Singh takes meeting with BIS and Steel Ministry officials
Review of Indian standards for Steel undertaken
Minister underlines need for formulating standards for imported steel
A meeting with officials of BIS and Steel Ministry to review the Indian standards for steel and benchmarking based on which the standards are made, was held under the Chairmanship of the Union Minister of Steel, Shri Ram Chandra Prasad Singh, here today.
The Minister emphasised on the regular and timely revision of the existing Indian Standards to meet the dynamic nature of the steel sector and also formulation of new Standards for the steel grades being imported, for which no Indian Standards presently exist. He requested BIS to formulate new standards with greater frequency to align the Indian Standards with the new developments taking place in the steel sector globally.
The Minister also directed the officials to ensure that the balance 16 standards out of the 145 standards notified under the Quality Control Order are enforced without delay and action is taken promptly on the balance 23 Indian standards which are yet to be brought under the Quality Control Order.
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MV/SS
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Ministry of Micro,Small & Medium Enterprises
Scheme Launched by Government for MSMEs
Government has launched a World Bank supported Central Sector Scheme called Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance . The scheme aims at strengthening institutions and governance at the Centre and State, improving Centre-State linkages and partnerships and improving access of MSMEs to market and credit, technology upgradation and addressing issues of delayed payments and greening of MSMEs.
RAMP programme will be implemented over a period of five years. The total outlay for the scheme is ₹6,062.45 crore or USD 808 Million, out of which ₹3750 crore or USD 500 Million would be a loan from the World Bank and the remaining ₹2312.45 crore or USD 308 Million would be funded by the Government of India .
Interventions under RAMP programme, by way of increasing access of MSMEs to market, technology and credit, increasing outreach to more MSMEs, inclusion of service sector, gender and greening initiatives etc., are aimed at increasing the performance of the MSME sector, thus resulting in more employment opportunities.
This information was given by Minister of State for Micro Small and Medium Enterprises, Shri Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.
MJPS
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Ministry of Agriculture &
Farmers Welfare
Promoting use of bio pesticides and fertilizers
To promote the use of bio pesticides in agriculture, Central Insecticide Board & Registration Committee has formulated simplified guidelines for registration of bio pesticides as compared to chemical pesticides. During provisional registration granted under Section 9  of The Insecticides Act, 1968, the applicant is allowed to commercialize the bio-pesticides, unlike chemical pesticides.
Government of India through organic farming schemes of ParamparagatKrishiVikasYojana , Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region  and Capital Investment Subsidy Scheme  aims for sustainable agriculture production with eco-friendly process in tune with nature, promoting organic inputs and chemical free agriculture produce for improving the health condition of the people.
Under, ParamparagatKrishiVikasYojana , assistance of Rs. 50,000 per hectare for 3 years is provided, out of which Rs. 31,000  is given to the farmers directly through DBT, for inputs  production/ procurement, post-harvest management etc.
Under Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region , the farmers are given assistance of Rs. 25000 per hectare for 3 years for both on-farm & off-farm organic inputs, and seeds/ planting material.
Under, Capital Investment Subsidy Scheme, Government of India promotes production of bio-fertilizers by providing 100% assistance to State Government / Government Agencies upto a maximum limit of Rs.160.00 lakh/ unit for setting up of state of art liquid/ carrier-based Bio-fertilizer units of 200 Tonnes Per Annum capacity. Similarly, for individuals/ private agencies assistance upto 25% of cost limited to Rs.40 lakh/unit as capital investment is provided through National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development.
Amount spent under, ParamparagatKrishiVikasYojana during last three years  and current year  is Rs. 152.82 crore, Rs. 203.46 crore, Rs. 329.46 crore and Rs. 226.42 crore respectively.
Amount spent under, Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region during last three years  and current year  is Rs. 47.63 crore, Rs. 66.22 crore, Rs. 174.78 crore and Rs. 78.83 crore respectively.
Under Capital Investment Subsidy Scheme, no amount has been disbursed to National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development during 2016-17 and 2017-18; however, during 2018-19, an amount of Rs.276.168 lakh was disbursed.
Use of bio-pesticides is promoted by educating farmers through Farmer Field schools and Human Resource Development programmes  under Integrated Pest Management approach. The bio-pesticides  are also multiplied in the Central and State Government laboratories and distributed to farmers. During the last 5 years , 3472 Farmer Field Schools and 647 Human Resource Development programs were conducted under Integrated Pest Management and 1,04,160 farmers and 25,880 pesticide dealers and State Extension officials have been trained.
This information was given in a written reply by the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, in Rajya Sabha today.
Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation
Flood Forecasting Stations
Central Water Commission  under the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation has been listed as the nodal organization for flood forecasting in the country by the Ministry of Home Affairs  / National Disaster Management Authority .
Presently, there are 226 flood forecasting stations consisting of 166 level forecasting stations for villages and towns and 60 inflow forecasting stations for reservoirs/dams/barrages in the country. There are no Flood Forecasting stations in the Hathras Region of Uttar Pradesh; however, Flood Forecasting stations have been established at Mathura and Agra on river Yamuna near Hathras region. State-wise distribution of the existing 226 flood forecasting stations is annexed.
Out of 226 flood forecasting stations, 166 flood forecasting stations have been modernized so far with automatic data collection & satellite based transmission  system.
It has been planned to expand flood forecasting network from the existing 226 stations to 325 flood forecasting stations including locations in Uttar Pradesh by March 2020.
Existing flood forecasting network covers 22 States / Union Territories and 19 major river basins / sub-basins in the country.
Annexure
Number of Flood Forecasting Stations established in the country

|
|
Sl.
No.
|
|
State
|
|
Flood Forecasting Station as on date
|
|
Level
|
|
Inflow
|
|
Total
|
|
1
|
|
Andhra Pradesh
|
|
7
|
|
7
|
|
14
|
|
2
|
|
Telangana
|
|
4
|
|
6
|
|
10
|
|
3
|
|
Assam
|
|
29
|
|
0
|
|
29
|
|
4
|
|
Bihar
|
|
34
|
|
0
|
|
34
|
|
5
|
|
Chhattisgarh
|
|
1
|
|
0
|
|
1
|
|
6
|
|
Gujarat
|
|
6
|
|
6
|
|
12
|
|
7
|
|
Haryana
|
|
0
|
|
1
|
|
1
|
|
8
|
|
Jharkhand
|
|
2
|
|
5
|
|
7
|
|
9
|
|
Karnataka
|
|
1
|
|
9
|
|
10
|
|
10
|
|
Madhya Pradesh
|
|
2
|
|
2
|
|
4
|
|
11
|
|
Maharashtra
|
|
7
|
|
3
|
|
10
|
|
12
|
|
Odisha
|
|
11
|
|
2
|
|
13
|
|
13
|
|
Tripura
|
|
2
|
|
0
|
|
2
|
|
14
|
|
Uttar Pradesh
|
|
38
|
|
2
|
|
40
|
|
15
|
|
Uttarakhand
|
|
3
|
|
1
|
|
4
|
|
16
|
|
West Bengal
|
|
11
|
|
3
|
|
14
|
|
17
|
|
NCT Delhi
|
|
2
|
|
0
|
|
2
|
|
18
|
|
Daman & Diu
|
|
1
|
|
0
|
|
1
|
|
19
|
|
Arunachal Pradesh
|
|
2
|
|
0
|
|
2
|
|
20
|
|
Jammu and Kashmir
|
|
3
|
|
0
|
|
3
|
|
21
|
|
Tamil Nadu
|
|
0
|
|
10
|
|
10
|
|
22
|
|
Rajasthan
|
|
0
|
|
3
|
|
3
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
166
|
|
60
|
|
226
This information was given by Union Minister of State for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Health Ministry signs MoU with Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to facilitate access of AB–NHPM to the last mile
CSCs would be a big milestone in the access of universal healthcare in our country: J P Nadda
National Health Agency  under Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the apex body for the implementation of Ayushman Bharat-National Health Protection Mission , and Common Service Centres  scheme under the Digital India Programme, have signed an MoU to provide information and eligibility validation services to beneficiaries, especially in remote areas. Shri J P Nadda, Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Minister for Law and Justice & Information Technology presided over the MoU signing ceremony. As the benefits under AB-NHPM are based on entitlement and not on enrolment, over 3 lakh CSCs spread across the rural India can become the key point of information for potential beneficiaries and help in validating their entitlement.
The MoU was signed by Dr. Indu Bhushan, CEO, National Health Agency  and Dr. Dinesh Tyagi, CEO, CSC-SPV.
Shri JP Nadda, Union Health Minister said “With this MoU, the dream of Digital India is taking a big leap. In Ayushman Bharat shall benefit 55 Cr people across the country. The 3 lakh CSCs in 2.5 lakh Panchayats shall be a great help in the implementation of the scheme. ” He added, “I am confident that CSCs would be a big milestone in the access of universal healthcare in our country.”
Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad said that, “Today, I am very happy that CSC VLEs are going to be the soldiers of healthcare-Ayushman Bharat in India. The identity and registrations of beneficiaries would be done through CSCs. I would like to congratulate Shri J.P. Nadda that his ministry has chosen CSCs for the implementation of the largest healthcare scheme of the world.”
Dr. Indu Bhushan, CEO, National Health Agency , said that this integration will not only create more accessibility and transparency in the beneficiary validation process, but will also spread awareness among the targeted beneficiaries. The network of CSCs is the cornerstone of Digital India and they will provide support to the flagship mission for building a healthy India.
AB-NHPM targets approximately 10.74 crore poor, deprived families and has identified occupational category of urban workers’ families as per the latest Socio-Economic Caste Census  data, for both rural and urban India. CSC will be provided access to Beneficiary Identification System , which helps in confirming application from ‘entitled’ beneficiaries using SECC and RSBY databases. Validation of entitled beneficiary through BIS will ensure timely information upto the last mile, facilitating benefits under Ayushman Bharat. The BIS has already been designed and pilot testing is underway across various States.
Prime Minister's Office
PM lauds the innovative way to celebrate the foundation day of district
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has praised the way Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah, MP from Tehri Garhwal Dehradun celebrated the foundation day of district Uttarkashi of Tehri Garhwal constituency.
Responding to the tweet threads by Member of Parliament from Tehri Garhwal, the Prime Minister tweeted;
“अपने जिले के स्थापना दिवस को मनाने की बेहतरीन पहल! ऐसे प्रयासों से लोगों में अलग-अलग क्षेत्रों के बारे में जानने की उत्सुकता बढ़ेगी।”
Ministry of Finance
DRI recover 8 kg gold in paste form at CSMI Airport
Mumbai, 17 January 2023
Based on specific intelligence that gold in paste form is being smuggled into India by a syndicate of passengers who are traveling from Dubai to Mumbai on the 17th January, 2023, surveillance was mounted by a team of DRI officers at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport Mumbai. The suspected passengers were identified and intercepted by the team at the airport. A thorough examination of the passengers led to recovery of 8.230 kgs of gold in paste form. The value of the gold is about ₹ 4.54 crores.
Most of the recovered gold was concealed in undergarments of the passengers making it extremely difficult to detect. This is a unique modus operandi busted by the DRI indicating the uphill task faced by the officers of DRI on regular basis to check the syndicates smuggling gold in various forms into the country.
Two persons have been arrested in the above case. Further investigation in the instant case is under progress to unravel the complete chain of persons involved in the illegal inflow of gold into the country.| PIB Mumbai | Sriyanka/Darshana
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